If you’re returning against a stronger player with really strong groundstrokes, I’d think about the point in layers.

Your first job is not to “hit a great return.”

Your first job is to stop them from getting their preferred first ball.

That matters because strong groundstroke players often become dangerous very quickly if the return comes back at a comfortable height, comfortable pace and comfortable depth. They set their feet, take control of the rally and suddenly you are reacting to them.

So before they serve, ask yourself:

What do I not want to give them?

Usually:
a clean strike-zone ball, time, rhythm and an easy first forehand.

That means your return should be designed to disturb one of those things.

If you can return low and crosscourt, that is a strong base pattern. You are trying to make them contact the next ball from a lower position, sometimes moving forward, sometimes lifting rather than driving freely.

But here is the important part:

The return itself is not the tactic. What it creates next is the tactic.

If your low return makes their next ball sit up slightly, that is the moment to step in.

If it makes them hit more centrally, your partner can become more aggressive.

If it forces them to play from below net height, you may be able to close the net and turn their big groundstroke into a passing-shot problem.

That is the shift.

You do not want to stand back and say:

“Okay, now let’s see whose forehand is better.”

If their groundstroke is the stronger weapon, why volunteer for that contest?

You want to change the nature of the point.

Make them hit:
lower than they want, later than they want, from deeper than they want, or while moving more than they want.

That is where the advantage starts.

And I would watch their first two balls very carefully.

If they are excellent when stationary but less dangerous when moving, then make movement the target.

Return crosscourt with enough angle that they have to move out.

Next ball, go through the middle or behind them.

If they love pace, take pace off.

If they love height, keep it low.

If they love stepping inside the baseline, push one deep and make them retreat.

If they are strongest crosscourt, occasionally change direction so they cannot lock into the same pattern.

The whole point is:

Do not feed the same picture repeatedly.

Strong players love rhythm.

Once they know:
“the return is coming here, the next ball is coming here, I can set my feet here,”

they start controlling the point before you realise it.

So you want variation with purpose.

Not random variation.

You are asking:

What will make their next shot less clean?

That is much more useful than asking:
“What shot should I hit?”

Now let’s talk about the return itself.

If the serve gives you time, I would often prefer a return with shape and control over a flat, heroic hit.

A fast return that lands in their strike zone can still be easy for them.

A slightly slower, lower return can be more annoying.

That is the difference between pace and quality.

Quality is not always speed.

Quality is:
where they contact it, how balanced they are, how many options they have, and what ball they can produce next.

That is why a low slice can be useful too.

You are making them generate pace themselves.

If they are a player who loves redirecting speed, that can frustrate them.

Now they have to bend, create lift and control the ball.

And if they produce a softer reply?

That is your invitation.

Move.

Do not stay behind the baseline admiring the return.

This is where a lot of players waste the opportunity.

They hit the perfect low ball, get the weaker reply they wanted… and then stand still.

The tactical sequence should be:

return to disturb → recognise the weaker reply → move forward → take time away.

That is how you turn defence into control.

Your partner is important too.

If your return is low and difficult, your partner should start thinking:
“This next ball may be mine.”

That pressure changes the opponent’s groundstroke.

Now they are not just hitting a baseline ball.

They are hitting while seeing an active net player.

That alone can change their target and decision-making.

This is why in doubles, you do not need to “beat” a great groundstroke from the baseline.

You can make them play a completely different game.

You can make them pass.

You can make them hit low.

You can make them hit through smaller spaces.

You can force them to deal with two players closing the court.

That is a much harder problem than a comfortable baseline rally.

And mentally, this is important:

Do not get impressed by one huge forehand.

A great player will hit great shots.

Your question is not:

“Can they hit that?”

Of course they can.

Your question is:

“Can they keep hitting that from the ball I’m giving them?”

If you give them a low ball, then a deep one, then make them move, can they still produce the same quality?

That is where you start learning the opponent.

So as a player, I’d simplify it into this:

First ball: stop them getting comfortable.

Second ball: read the quality of their reply.

Third ball: if the reply drops, step in and take control.

And if the reply stays strong?

Do not panic.

Reset the pattern.

Change height.

Change pace.

Use the middle.

Push them back.

Make them work for another clean ball.

The deeper mindset is this:

You are not trying to beat their groundstroke. You are trying to make their groundstroke harder to access.

That is much smarter.

Because once you stop playing directly into their strength, the point becomes less about how hard they can hit and more about how well they can solve the problems you keep giving them.